CLIENT FINAL
3.1.2.3 COMPETIDORS
Mter 25 . .ixg7 Ht 26.Wd2 Wxd2t 27.'kt>xd2 fXg2 2S.Ei:gl i>xg7 Black's connected passed pawns make the endgame extremely dangerous for White.
25 ... hc3 26.Wlxh7t c.tfS 27.Wlb7! hb2t
The game is likely to end in a perpetual.8
This was the choice of both Caruana and the young Kramnik.
16 ... h6 17.g4 Ei:d7
I think this move makes the most sense. Our plan is to double on the d-file and then play . . . LO f4 to relieve the pressure.
18.g5
This move is committal but normal for this line. With the pawn on g5 we're unlikely to be able to get . . . f5 to work, so our bishop will be stuck on g7 for a while. However, we do have outposts on both f4 and f5 and the structure tends to favour Black in the long term.
It's worth noting that I S . .ia3N can be met by I S .. . Ei:adS!? There is no need to fear 1 9.LOc5 as 1 9 .. . e4! gives Black good play.
An interesting game continued: I S . .if2 Ei:adS 1 9.LOc5 Ei:d6 20.LOxe6 Ei:xe6 White has the bishop pair but it has come at a price. Without the e4-knight, it will be hard to keep the g7 -bishop out of the game.
a b e d e f g h
2 1 . .ixa7? was asking far too much of White's position in Frisk - Omarsson, Copenhagen 2006. Black missed the chance to play approaches here but Black's position has proven to be quite resilient. The two main options are
C231) 19.1iJf6t!?
andC232) 19.E:dl.
Chapter 6 - 1 0",We l 1 1 7
19.Elhg l EladS 20.Elde l Wa5 2 1 .a3 liJf4 22.�xe6 liJxe6't Moylan - Azarova, Dresden
(01)
200S.1 9.�a3 EladS! 20.liJ c5 liJe3! 2 1 .liJxd7 occurred in Muhammad - Cvitan, Biel 20 1 3. Black's most accurate continuation is:
a b e d e f g h
2 l . . .�xc4!N 22.liJf6t (22.Elde 1 Wxd7 23.Elxe3 Wd2t-+) 22 .. . �xf6 23.gxf6 liJxd 1 24.Elxd 1 Elxd l t 25 .<;iJxd 1 �d5 Black has a small edge but it should be a draw.
1 9.Wf2 EladS 20.Elhe l liJ f4 2 1 .Elxd7 Elxd7 22.�xe6 liJxe6= reached a fairly typical position for this line in cfm - jschindler, engine game 20 1 3.
a b e d e f g h
Black's knight does a good job on e6 and his control over the d-file makes it tough for White to undertake anything active. Black's queen placement is flexible: it can either remain on
the queenside or target White's kingside pawns via the h3-cS diagonal.
C231) 19.1iJf6t!?
This knight jump is obviously a critical try but Black needn't be worried.
19 ... hf6! 20.gxf6
The dark-squared bishop can be considered a 'problem piece' in this structure, so exchanging it for the strong enemy knight is no bad thing.
As long as Black avoids any mating threats he should be doing well.
20 ... �a5 21..te7
2 1 .Wf2?! Wa4! 22.�b3 Wf4t 23.<;iJb 1 EladS 24.mal a5 25.Wg3 Wxf6+ worked out perfectly for Black in Bontems - Pirrone, em ail 2006.
21..J�b8!
It turns out that Black has some dangerous attacking ideas of his own.
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
a b e d e f g h
22.�el
This is White's safest continuation.
22.�b3N would allow 22 .. . Elxb3! 23.cxb3
�f5! with a powerful attack. A spectacular finish could be: 24.Wa4? (24.�a3 WdS't)
a b e d e f g h
24 .. . ttJ c3!! 25.'lWxa5 ttJe2 mate!
22.'lWg5N !'l:xb2! 23.i.xd5
a b e d e f g h
23 ... i.xd5 (23 ... !'l:xc2t 24.�xc2 cxd5!? is an interesting way to play for a win) 24. �xb2
�xa2t 25.�c3 �c4t 26.�b2 'lWa2t with a draw.
22
. • .'lWc7 23J�gl .ifS 24.'?;Ve2 @h7 25.hd5
�hd5 26.'?;Ve3
a b e d e f g h
26 .. J::&d4! 27.'?;Vc3 !'l:b5 28.b3 '?;Vb6 29.!'l:gel
�bd5;
Black was starting to take control in jml26 -the viper, engine game 20 1 2.
a b e d e f g h
Black carries out a thematic plan that we encountered earlier in the chapter.
21 ..ixe6 �xd2 22.�xd2 �xd2 23.ltJxd2
23.�xd2?! ttJxe6 (23 .. . 'lWd8t!?N is also promising) 24.c3?! was played in Luther -Tolnai, Budapest 1 992, and now 24 .. . 'lWa5!N 25 .i.a3 'lWd5t would have won the a2-pawn.23.i.xf7t?!N is also unimpressive: 23 .. . 'lWxf7 24.ttJxd2 'lWxa2 25.ttJ b3 a5+
23 ... ltJxe6 24
•.ie3 e4!?
An interesting pawn sacrifice.
24 .. . 'lWd8 is absolutely fine if Black wishes to play more solidly: 25.a3 c5 26.'lWc4 ttJxg5 Yz-Yz Krueger - Simmelink, emai1 2003.
25.liJxe4
Chapter 6 - 1 O.Wi'e l 1 1 9
8 7 6 5 4 3 2
a b e d e f g h
25 ... ie5!N
This multipurpose move targets the h2-pawn, while giving the king some space and ensuring that lLlf6t will not block the bishop.
Black also enables his queen to move away from the h2-bS diagonal without allowing White's queen to penetrate along it.
26.h3
26.lLl f6t It>hS+
26
..•Wi'b7i
Black has excellent play for the pawn.
C24) I6.g4 .!tlf4
a b e d e f g h
Again we see the same knight manoeuvre.
White's two most important responses are
C24I) I7.Wi'c3
andC242) I7.,ixe6.
The following is a good illustration of what can happen if White starts to drift: 1 7.:B:xdSt :B:xdS I S .ixe6 lLl xe6 1 9.1.W c3 :B:d5 = Black has comfortably equalized but White should still be okay. However, he was obviously trying to trade pieces and did not see the danger.
a b e d e f g h
20.:B:d l ?? f5! 2 1 .gxf5 gxf5 22.:B:xd5 cxd5 0-1 Tassopoulos - Neubauer, Rijeka 20 1 0.
1 7.id6?
This is a logical move to consider and has been chosen by some fairly strong players, but it is an error.
1 7 .. . :B:xd6! l s.lLlxd6 id5
White has big problems with his errant knight.
a b e d e f g h
1 9.1Llb5 '!Nb6 20.ixd5
20.lLla3 does not help White either:
20 .. . e4!?N (20 . . . 1"i:bS 2 1 .b3 'iffic5 is also initiative. The quickest way to capitalize is:
a b e d e f g h times. White maintains the tension.
17 ... i.d5
Black makes sure that an exchange of light
squared bishops will improve his structure, while at the same time vacating the e6-square for the knight. We are now ready to double gxf5 20.tLlg3 (20.tLld2 tLle6+ Carpentier -Spagnoli, em ail 2003) 20 ... 'iffif7+ It looks difficult for White to exploit the open g-file, while Black has good central control and typical counterplay against the b2-pawn.
8
This has been White's most common choice.
It is rather committal, but it is understandable that he wishes to prevent . . . f5 for good.
18 ... �e6 19.i.e3 �d4
Black has succeeded in rerouting the knight to a prime location in the centre of the board.
20.h4
This is how correspondence players have approached the position. I checked a few other moves as well:
Chapter 6 - 1 0.\We 1 1 2 1
20.Wb l was played i n Panchanathan -Gashimov, Nakhchivan 2003. In the game Black exchanged bishops and grabbed the f3-pawn but White obtained some initiative for it. I would prefer sidestepping the pin with 20 ... \Wb7!N when Black is doing well, and is now truly threatening to take on f3.
In another game White evidently felt that the knight was too much of a nuisance and so played 20.�xd4 exd4 2 1 .\Wd3, but this was a significant concession. In Herrera Rodriguez - Granada Velez, Medellin 20 1 0, Black exchanged bishops on c4, but there was no need to rush with this. A better approach would have been:
a b e d e f g h
2 1 . .J''1abSN Black has the better chances, for instance: 22.�xd5 cxd5!? 23.ctJf6t (23.ctJf2 :8:d6+) 23 ... �xf6 24.gxf6 :8:dcS+
20 .. .\/Ne7
Opening up possibilities of taking on f3.
21..ixd4
2 1 .Wb 1 \We6! 22.�b3 occurred in Mehar - Lokesh, Chennai 2009, and here I see no reason not to grab a pawn with 22 .. . ctJxf3N.